We selected the finalists based on the number of nominations, the arguments made for them and diversity of topics. Here they are, accompanied by a reader’s comment:

Disaster: “From hurricanes in the Gulf Coast and Central America to earthquakes in Pakistan/Asia to the insurgency and tragedy in Iraq to the Iranian election of a racist fascist, this year was one man-made or man-amplified disaster after another.” — Noah.

Hubris: “For obvious reasons not only related to Iraq.” — asiago.

Insurgency: “Where did this word come from? Who were the ‘insurgents’ in

WW II, Korea, Vietnam, Panama, the Falkland Islands? Is this the

21st Century word for ‘resistance’?” — Rob C.

Jump the Couch: This update of the TV saying “jump the shark” is “a defining moment when you know someone has gone off the deep end, such as Tom Cruise jumping on Oprah’s couch” to show his love for Katie Holmes. — Swanlake.

Levee: “Who outside of flood-prone areas really understood what a levee was, aside from a word that rhymes with ‘Chevy’ in the song ‘American Pie,’ before Katrina came along?” — ottavarima.

Mashup: “Not only does this word capture a hot trend in both music and software (Web 2.0) development, but seen in another light, it sounds like big things colliding. Lots of that going on this year!” — tritisan.

Vote in our poll, which is on the polls page. We’ll announce the winner next week.